Edited by Saanvi Thokachichu and Jaiden Leary
In the early 1980’s an architectural trend occurred to combat the problems of urban sprawl, a rapid, unplanned expansion of cities into rural settings. It created a multitude of problems, including increased emissions, low-density development, and the destruction of farmland, among others. Because of this, Robert Davis, Andrés Duany, and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk had a plan to create or reintroduce human-scale, walkable communities into America, starting in the panhandle of Florida. They created communities that were close in distance to jobs and businesses, and offered multiple housing options. It was called Seaside and showed promising success; it brought back that feel of a real home and weakened the dependency on sprawl methods of planning neighborhoods, which sparked the expansion of using what we now know to be called “New Urbanism”.
Breaking down “New Urbanism”
New Urbanism is typically characterized as: “an urban design movement that promotes environmentally friendly habits by creating walkable neighbourhoods containing a wide range of housing and job types”. It aimed to minimize the harms of post-WWII housing sprawl in development and the reliance on automobiles and transit. It’s deeply inspired by traditional European styles of urban planning, where everything you need can be reached on foot or by communal methods of traveling. It was hoped to increase the supply of housing while also covering issues of: Historical preservation, green building, safe streets, and the redevelopment of brown lands. The types of housing range from apartments to single-family housing and rowhouses, which accommodate every type of buyer. They include shops at the edges of town, squares in the middle, schools for the children, playgrounds, green spaces, all while still having the ability to park/store your cars and drive them when needed. However, the neighborhood incentives you are using are more green-friendly forms of transportation, such as walking, biking, etc.
What it Would Mean on a Large Scale for America
America, while being a country with a vast amount of land, has a developmental issue of packing people into smaller, more densely populated areas. Housing, corporations, parking lots, and large amounts of developments due to modern urbanism have only worsened the issue, clumping large groups of people in one general vicinity and spreading the urbanization out far. New Urbanism offers a real alternative to the problems caused by fragmented sprawl. If adopted more broadly, it could change how Americans live. Instead of spreading people out and making business, schools, and jobs far away from their homes, it brings them closer together, gives the benefits of having companies nearby, and gives green spaces typically ignored. Kids can walk to school, seniors can get groceries without a car, and families can spend time in parks or town squares without needing to drive long distances, as they traditionally would in regular neighborhoods.. To make that happen across the country, a few things could change. Zoning laws would have to be updated, infrastructure would need to support walkability and mixed-use development, and people would need to shift how they think about space and convenience. It’s not just about making neighborhoods look nicer—it’s about making them work better. That means cleaner air, more housing options, safer streets, and communities that feel connected instead of spread thin.
Impacts of New Urbanism
The predicted benefits of New Urbanism aren’t just theoretical—they’re backed by research across health, economics, and infrastructure as seen through communities that implement them. New Urbanist developments can cut infrastructure costs by up to 38%, reduce public service expenses by 10%, and generate ten times more tax revenue per acre than conventional suburban sprawl. Walkable neighborhoods also correlate with higher property values and better public health outcomes, including lower rates of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Even further renovation-focused urban planning—a core principle of New Urbanism—can reduce embodied carbon emissions by up to 7,500 times compared to new construction. By minimizing car dependency and promoting greener transit neighborhoods, New Urbanist communities also lower transportation-related emissions, which account for nearly 29% of U.S. greenhouse gas output. In short, New Urbanism isn’t just a design fix—it’s a scalable strategy for cutting costs, reducing emissions, and building healthier, more connected communities through strategic development of architecture and the interconnectedness of the citizens that reside in them. If adopted widely, it could reshape the American landscape in ways that aid the rising economy and help mitigate the climate crisis.
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